Episode 2
I love Hip Hop SAGA (stylized as I♡HIPHOP SAGA) is the second episode of Zombieland Saga. Synopsis The girls have regained their senses and Kōtarō denounces they will make their official debut at the Saga Castle's annual performance showcase. Though Sakura has no second-thoughts, she must work together with the other girls dealing with their personalities and morale if she is to fulfill her dream as an idol. Plot The girls, now (mostly) regained their consciousnesses, are gathered together underground of the mansion where Kōtarō comes to greet all the girls now that they've regained their senses. To start their journey as idols, he first briefs them that they are zombies and instructs them to never be seen by people in their zombified appearance as they would be stereotypically treated as monsters seen in many zombie horror media. Above else, he enthusiastically trusts the girls they'll become idols to save Saga's idol entertainment. Kōtarō briefs them that they shall make their debut at the Saga Castle where the place will hold an annual contest showcasing various performances. He then gives them idol training to prepare them for the event. Sakura is the only one member who remains pragmatic with Kōtarō, while she sees the rest of the girls lazing about. As the girls get some rest, Sakura is confronted by Saki -- The rebellious biker gang leader. She verbally berates Sakura taking the idea as "zombie idols" very seriously since they are already dead, then walks away discontent with her own current status. Sakura decides to go to sleep. But then, she notices that Ai is missing; where she decides to leave and escape the mansion, fearful of their status as zombies. She tries leaving through the front door, but Romero is outside near the door and attempts to jump over to her, scaring Ai off. Ai leaves through the backdoor, where she ends up running into Junko, also intending to leave. Sakura eventually catches up to them. She tries convincing them to return and try to become idols even when they're technically dead, but they refuse and leave the mansion anyways. Sakura hesitantly follows them still trying to convince them. As the girls make their way about in town, Ai asks Sakura a question why she is taking Kōtarō's idea to become zombie idols seriously. Sakura confesses that she admits she never put any thought into it, but she gets the feeling of remembering of who she was before she died whenever she gets to perform in idol activities. So she decided on her own that she'll continue her career as a zombie idol, just to feel that moment of nostalgia again. The girls then encounter a group of three rappers, who starts approaching and flirting with the girls with their freestyle rapping. But the girls ignore them and walk away. They later encounter another passerby and tries evading them, but the girls run into a dead end. As the individuals move closer to the girls, the solo passerby is identified as a policeman, whom Sakura recognizes. The policeman spots the rappers and mockingly raps them to address themselves. Ai then tries to ask the policeman's help by approaching him. When the policeman and the rappers see Ai and the girls' zombie appearances, the guys all become terrified. Then the policeman grabs his gun and shoots the girls, but ultimately misses them. Everyone screams in panic; the rappers tackle the policeman in horror. In the ensuring chaos, the girls use this chance to escape, while a hidden Kōtarō watches the girls fazed as they run away. The girls immediately return to the mansion, where Ai and Junko are left mortified for getting shot at. Everything goes normal as nothing happen where Sakura continues idol training with Kōtarō, but still sees the rest of the girls doing nothing. Sakura later sees Saki giving her a cold look during her training, then leaves. Sakura takes a breather out on the mansion porch. Then Saki appears and confronts her, slamming her seriousness in her role as a zombie idol again. Kōtarō now takes the girls to the Saga Castle for the event. He first gives them makeup to disguise the girls as humans. Then the girls wait in the backstage for their turn. Upon being called out, the girls have been told that they are now called "Green Face," as Kōtarō has decided on their official group name. The girls take to the stage and makes their formal idol introduction to the audience, then they start to perform on cue to the music. However, Tae takes notice of an old man in the audience eating a whole squid and she immediately rushes over to him. Sakura stops her and tries to drag her back to the stage, but in the process she accidentally knocks her down and Tae's head comes off. Worried their identities as zombies will be discovered, Sakura tries defusing the situation by reassuring everyone and putting back Tae's head. Saki, however, decides their performance is going nowhere and persistently detaches Tae's head to mock everyone. Sakura tries stopping her, but Saki rebuffs her and knocks her down. Eventually, Sakura becomes annoyed with Saki that she ends up smacking Tae's head away from Saki's hands. She furiously picks up a microphone and starts rapping and insulting Saki for her hardheadedness. Saki fights back in the same verbal manner, resulting in a rap battle. Lily and Yūgiri take advantage of Sakura and Saki's in-fighting and join in as background rappers, where Sakura ultimately stands up against Saki and pushes her aside and throughout the entire rap. The rap battle impresses the audience and the girls were praised for their performance, much to their surprise. After the show, Saki confronts Sakura again and tells her she respects her for having the guts to stand up against her, and becomes interested in the concept of Japanese idols. To herself, Sakura noted their performance wasn't very "idol-like," but was happy she get to perform in a real show. The episode then ends with Kōtarō smiling at the girls, impressed with their performance. Appearances *Sakura Minamoto *Saki Nikaidō *Ai Mizuno *Junko Konno *Yūgiri *Lily Hoshikawa *Tae Yamada *Kōtarō Tatsumi *Romero *Policeman A *Death metal fans Kotaro's diary synopsis With the zombie gang finally conscious, Sakura seems to finally be at ease. At last, they can begin work as an idol group! First off, they need to make sure no one finds out that they're zombies, causing mass terror. The group also tries to change their name from "Death Musume (Temporary)", even though it seems like everyone is leaning towards that title, and no one can think of anything else. Afterwards, the idols prepare for a suitable debut. There has to be some event that's would be great for them! Trivia * Saki mentioning the "old geezer" from her "Tamagotchi" could be a reference to Tamagotchi's senior stage character, Oyajitchi. ** Tamagotchi existed during the 90s including Oyajitchi, and her has since been a staple character in the franchise. Category:Media Category:Anime Category:Episodes